Please note that the Record Centre is situated in Bermondsey; see the bottom of the page for contact details.

The Church of England Record Centre holds the archive of the central bodies of the Church of England: the Church Commissioners, Archbishops’ Council, National Society and Church of England Pensions Board, as well as the records of their predecessor bodies.

The core collections date from 1704, following the creation of Queen Anne’s Bounty. The material reflects the evolving organisation of the Church of England and the multitude of roles the Church played in the social, religious and economic history of England and Wales, as well covering colonial history and the Anglican Church abroad.

The collections also include copies of the records of the contents of over 1,500 individual churches compiled by the NADFAS Church Recorders; archival material including notebooks and papers of Canon Clarke and of Gordon Barnes; and extensive photographic collections. CERC also holds detailed care files on 16,000 parish churches, many containing guidebooks, postcards and photographs.

If you would like to consult material, this is possible by appointment. Please contact us to book a table in the Reading Room at the Record Centre.

Opening Hours:

Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, 10am-4pm, except public holidays. Details of Easter and Christmas closure will be published on this page.